Controlling Ankylosing Spondylitis with a No Starch Diet

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If you haven’t heard by now, turmeric is finally being recognized as a miracle spice. Just a few things various studies have shown is that turmeric provides health benefits for are joint inflammation and pain relief, flu protection, cardiovascular health, fights cancer, weight loss/management, digestive health, wound healing, prevention of asthma attacks, blood sugar stabilization and even fights against Alzheimer’s.

So, when you have Ankylosing Spondylitis, getting some turmeric in your body every day is essential to fight the inflammation, which is what causes all of that nasty bone and joint damage, as well as keeping our digestive health on track. The easiest way to do this is taking it in capsule form, which you can get here.

A much tastier way to get your turmeric on is cooking with it, or drinking it!

There are several different recipes for Golden Milk out there, but I like Nourished Kitchen‘s recipe because she incorporates ginger, which also has a lot of anti-inflammatory properties, even though it does contain some starch. A pretty tasty way to get your turmeric on and help you stay warm this winter!

*Please note: the No Starch and Low Starch Diets are NOT a "one size fits all diet." Each individual is affected differently by different foods. So please keep a food journal to make note of what foods have a negative effect on your pain and inflammation levels and conduct a starch test on all of your foods before you eat anything.

Asparagus is one of those fringe vegetables on the starch free list, so if you haven’t eaten it since ditching the starch, give it a whirl. Simply Recipes has a nice and easy recipe for Roasted Asparagus. It does include garlic, another one on the fringe but if you know that it bothers you, just omit the garlic. Personally, it doesn’t bother me and has so many health benefits, I try to include it in my diet, daily.

*Please note: the No Starch and Low Starch Diets are NOT a "one size fits all diet." Each individual is affected differently by different foods. So please keep a food journal to make note of what foods have a negative effect on your pain and inflammation levels and conduct a starch test on all of your foods before you eat anything.

Oh my tasty goodness! Nom Nom Paleo has saved me from since-childhood-disdain for Brussels sprouts (sorry Mom)! with her Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Bacon dish. They’re way easy to make and if you follow her link to Brussels Sprouts Chips, you get 2 yummies for your mouth, for the price of one, which my pocketbook loves!

*Please note: the No Starch and Low Starch Diets are NOT a "one size fits all diet." Each individual is affected differently by different foods. So please keep a food journal to make note of what foods have a negative effect on your pain and inflammation levels and conduct a starch test on all of your foods before you eat anything.

*Please note: the No Starch and Low Starch Diets are NOT a "one size fits all diet." Each individual is affected differently by different foods. So please keep a food journal to make note of what foods have a negative effect on your pain and inflammation levels and conduct a starch test on all of your foods before you eat anything.

Maria Emmerich of Maria Mind Body Health has an a-MAZ-ing recipe for garlic “bread” just in case you’ve been missing it. It’s not technically a dairy-free recipe as it does call for whey protein, but if you can tolerate any dairy, this is the recipe for you! DELICIOUS!

*Please note: the No Starch and Low Starch Diets are NOT a "one size fits all diet." Each individual is affected differently by different foods. So please keep a food journal to make note of what foods have a negative effect on your pain and inflammation levels and conduct a starch test on all of your foods before you eat anything.

*Please note: the No Starch and Low Starch Diets are NOT a "one size fits all diet." Each individual is affected differently by different foods. So please keep a food journal to make note of what foods have a negative effect on your pain and inflammation levels and conduct a starch test on all of your foods before you eat anything.

Arsy over at Rubies & Radishes has two great, super simple curry slow cooker meals: Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Curry and Easy Slow Cooker Beef Curry. Both meals are low starch with the curry pastes she uses. She provides links to both of them and the ingredients are listed on the website, so you can check them out to make sure you’re okay with those ingredients.

*Please note: the No Starch and Low Starch Diets are NOT a "one size fits all diet." Each individual is affected differently by different foods. So please keep a food journal to make note of what foods have a negative effect on your pain and inflammation levels and conduct a starch test on all of your foods before you eat anything.

Danielle Walker of Against All Grainhas created a great alternative to all those pre-packaged cereal bars full of all the bad stuff for Ankylosing Spondylitis. These bars are filled with blueberry preserves you can easily whip up yourself and are perfect to make ahead for those mornings you’re in a rush to get out the door.

*Please note: the No Starch and Low Starch Diets are NOT a "one size fits all diet." Each individual is affected differently by different foods. So please keep a food journal to make note of what foods have a negative effect on your pain and inflammation levels and conduct a starch test on all of your foods before you eat anything.

We all know that switching to a No Starch Diet and even a Low Starch Diet can be not only daunting, but expensive, especially if you’re doing a paleo version. With that being said, there are ways to off-set the expense and even save money on your grocery bill. Saving money has always been important in our household, but it has recently become essential since the man was laid off last month.

Enter the chicken leg quarter. We were always breast peeps in this house, along with a bi-weekly whole bird for roasting and making chicken broth. Since switching my diet, I started throwing in some legs and thighs to the mix but the reviews were just, “eh!” With the budget being what it is, I told my 2 guys they were gonna have to become leg men and they would like it. Why? Because legs are CHEAP! I found a 10 pound bag of leg quarters this weekend for .$79/lb, which will make 3 meals, maybe 4. Even when they’re not on sale, they’re considerably cheaper than even bone-in skin-on breasts.

Since I don’t like so-so reviews at the dinner table, even on a tight budget, I’ve been searching for some tasty recipes for these girls, and with my 10 lb. score this week-end, I’d thought I’d share some of my favorite procedures for slinging luscious legs on the table:

Herb Crusted Chicken – Lacy and Nathan at WannaBite came up with simple, savory dish that looks as pretty as it tastes – all the qualities I love in any recipe!

Roasted Chicken Legs with Bacon Veggies – this recipe I found at Fast Paleo submitted by The Foodie and The Family, calls for carrots and cauliflower, which are both on the starch list, however, you can leave them both out and substitute with some other safe veggies. Personally, I can tolerate carrots, so I leave them in but the cauliflower has to go – way to starchy for me, so I let some celery sub in for me. Still very tasty!

Simple and Yummy Chicken Recipe – I think the name speaks for itself! Landria at Stir It Up shared this dish. The recipe does call for 1 tablespoon of minced ginger root, which is starchy although ginger is known for it’s anti-inflammatory properties. I cut it down to a teaspoon and didn’t have any problems, but please test for yourself

Grilled Lime Chicken Leg Quarters – this is some amazing chicken we fixed several times this summer on the grill! I found this over at Cully’s Kitchen earlier this summer and since we love lime and cilantro on just about anything, these go fast!!

Honey Mustard Chicken – I’ve been a big fan of honey mustard and chicken for quite some time so I was very happy to find this recipe for leg quarters on Jan’s Sushi Bar.Here’s some bonus tips on chicken leg quarters:

*Please note: the No Starch and Low Starch Diets are NOT a "one size fits all diet." Each individual is affected differently by different foods. So please keep a food journal to make note of what foods have a negative effect on your pain and inflammation levels and conduct a starch test on all of your foods before you eat anything.

Baking powder is listed as an ingredient in a boatload of recipes, even some paleo-friendly recipes. It can be an important player in your cookies and muffins turning out just right by helping your yummies rise, increasing the volume, and making for a lighter texture. Baking powder is a leavening agent made up of a weak alkali and a weak acid. Most commercial baking powders are made up of 3 basic ingredients: the alkali – which is sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda, the acid salts – which is usually sodium aluminum sulfate and a calcium phospate and the cornSTARCH – which is to keep the other ingredients dry so they don’t start reacting with each other while they’re still behind closed doors, thus prolonging shelf life.

So, how does the Clabber Girl work her magic in your cakes and cookies? That is the burning question on every baker’s mind. I know it has been for me since I slung my first teaspoon of the white powder in my a batch of cookies thirtysome years ago.

First, when the baking soda reacts with the acid(s) it releases carbon dioxide gas in the batter or dough creating little tiny bubbles which expands your dough/batter. This increases the volume and makes the texture lighter.

Second, most commercial baking powders are double-acting. This means the ingredients start releasing the leavening gases when they become wet – you know, when you add milk and eggs, and then again from heat – when your yummies get all hot and bothered in the oven. This means it contains the 2 types of acid salts: the fast-acting calcium phosphate acid that reacts when it meets up with the wet ingredients and slow-acting sodium aluminum sulfate acid that reacts a second time when it gets slammed with some heat. Double-action means that the time between mixing all the dry and wet ingredients and the time to get in the oven isn’t too big of a deal. Who knew?

Third, that pesky little ingredient cornstarch serves absolutely no purpose in the actual baking process. It only serves to keep the ingredients from reacting too soon, which makes it more convenient than mixing only what you need, when you need it.

A couple problems with commercial baking powder is it includes aluminum, something I’d just as soon not ingest. I mean, there is that connection with aluminum and Alzheimer’s Disease, a disease that has effected my family. I realize the amount in baking powder probably isn’t enough to raise an eyebrow at but why include it when it can so easily be eliminated. The aluminum also results in a bitter, tinny taste to your baked goods. So a big eww on the aluminum.

And then there’s that whole cornstarch thing for those of us ASers trying to kick it to the curb. And let’s not forget anything that includes corn or it’s byproducts is more than likely to include GMO’s. Another big EWWW on the cornstarch.

What to do when you see a recipe that otherwise is safe for a No Starch Diet, but has baking powder listed with the ingredients, you ask? Make you own and that’s really the only option, as I’ve yet to find a commercial product that doesn’t include some form of starch. It only adds a few extra seconds to your total baking time to mix some up. (For those of you wondering why some recipes only call for baking soda as the leavening agent and think you can simply substitute it for baking powder, here’s a pretty good post that explains why you can’t and when you can.)

The basic formula for mixing up a fresh batch of baking powder is: 1 part baking soda to 2 parts cream of tartar.

For 1 tablespoon baking powder – mix together:

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

For the equivalent of 1 teaspoon of baking powder – mix together (you’re omitting the starch so even though it doesn’t measure out the same it is the equivalent):

*Please note: the No Starch and Low Starch Diets are NOT a "one size fits all diet." Each individual is affected differently by different foods. So please keep a food journal to make note of what foods have a negative effect on your pain and inflammation levels and conduct a starch test on all of your foods before you eat anything.